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Thursday, July 29, 2010

300 Only Sounds Like a Lot

Greetings from the Buckeye State!

In spite of the fact that this Gator girl is surrounded by Ohio State fans, I'm having an awesome time with my 6 (yes 6!) girl cousins, my mom, my aunt, (and my poor uncle) in Columbus, Ohio. It's like an over the top slumber party and I think it goes without saying that our eating has not been the healthiest.

Because of this, we have had to work in fitness where we can (in between shopping, gossiping, and all the other things girls do when they get together). Though my cousins range in age from 7-17, they are all rockstars of athletics (which p.s. - I was not!). In the group, we have a soccer player, two varsity cheerleaders, two lacrosse players, and a gymnast. This has made it easy and fun to work out.

The oldest of the rockstars, Michaela, graciously demonstrated a fabulous lower body/ab workout for us today. The fitness series is called 300s...and it sounds much scarier than it is. Basically, you are doing three basic moves in sets of 10 - and then you repeat ten times. In no time, you've hit 300!

300s

10 Basic Squats: Squats are a great lower body exercise, as they easily target the glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves all at once.

Start in a standing position with your legs about hip width apart. Bend your knees and hips to lower your torso, but remember to contract your abs while doing so. Then return to the upright standing position. Always keep your knees in line with your toes.

10 Pushups: Pushups are one of my favorite total body workouts.

Face down on the floor and balance on your hands and toes/knees. Position your hands wider than your shoulders and try to keep your body as straight as possible (don't push that butt in the air or let it sag!). Bend your arms slowly to lower your body to the floor (keeping it straight!) and stop when your arms reach a 90 degree angle. Push yourself back up and repeat.

10 Crunches: Because I am pretty sure everyone knows how to do a basic crunch (and like me, hates them), I had Michaela demonstrate a V-Tuck style crunch.

Start by laying flat on your back, with your hands behind your head.

Sit up and bring your knees in while also bringing in your elbows.

Touch your elbows to your knees, lean back to the ground, and repeat.

Integrating the 300 series into your cardio, weight training, and healthy eating is a great way to build those abdominal muscles.

No guarantee that you won't be giving me the look of death at the end though: